Wednesday, March 18, 2020

Sacco Vanzetti essays

Sacco Vanzetti essays Post World War I nativism was expected and to some extent justified, but was taken to an extreme in the Sacco and Vanzetti case. At this time people were terrified of foreigners and disregarded the fact that any American citizen came to America from either them immigrating or a relative who did. People feared immigrants immensely and viewed many of them as communists. The Sacco and Vanzetti case is a prime example of how people react in prejudiced times. Several factors contributed to Nativism. Propaganda helped contribute to the popular belief of nativism. The Red Scare contributed to Nativism as well. Anything out of the normal way of life or so to speak going against the grain was labeled as communist and struck panic into the country. American people believed what they were told without even considering other options. An example of this is the Judge in the Sacco and Vanzetti case. He was already was prejudiced against them before he heard what they had to say. This lead to the extension of their sentence and unjustifiable deaths. Nativism has many consequences. Many immigrants were taken to Ellis Island, which served as almost a prison for them because people were scared that they were communists and were here to destroy America. The dangers of nativism are really important because it turned neighbors against neighbors and spread a general distrust among everyone. The country was getting divided because of race, religion and beliefs. Terrible things happened because of peoples ignorance and they were too blind to see that nativism threw everyones perspective on the world off. If there werent prejudiced against foreigners then Sacco and Vanzetti may have had a fair trial and could have proved their innocence. Nativism was a terrible thing, but it is only natural to fear the unknown. ...

Monday, March 2, 2020

Introduction to the Middle Paleolithic

Introduction to the Middle Paleolithic The Middle Paleolithic period (ca 200,000 to 45,000 years ago or so) is the period during which Archaic humans including Homo sapiens neanderthalensis appeared and flourished all over the world. Handaxes continued in use, but a new kind of stone tool kit was createdcalled the Mousterian, it included purposefully prepared cores and specialized flake tools. The living method in the Middle Paleolithic for both Homo sapiens and our Neanderthal cousins included scavenging, but there is also clear evidence of hunting and gathering activities. Deliberate human burials, with some evidence (if somewhat controversial) of ritual behavior, are found at a handful of sites such as La Ferrassie and Shanidar Cave. By 55,000 years ago, archaic humans were tending to their elderly, in evidence at sites such as La Chapelle aux Saintes. Some evidence for cannibalism is also found in places such as Krapina and Blombos Cave. Early Modern Humans in South Africa The Middle Paleolithic ends with the gradual disappearance of the Neanderthal and the ascendancy of Homo sapiens sapiens, about 40,000-45,000 years ago. That didnt happen overnight, however. The beginnings of modern human behaviors are mapped out in the Howiesons Poort/Stillbay Industries of southern Africa beginning perhaps as long ago as 77,000 years and leaving Africa along a Southern Dispersal Route. Middle Stone Age and the Aterian A handful of sites seem to suggest that the dates for the change to the Upper Paleolithic are way out of whack. The Aterian, a stone tool industry long thought to have been dated to the Upper Paleolithic, is now recognized as Middle Stone Age, dated perhaps as long ago as 90,000 years ago. One Aterian site showing early Upper Paleolithic-type behavior but dated much earlier is at Grottes des Pigeons in Morocco, where shell beads dated 82,000 years old have been discovered. Another problematic site is Pinnacle Point South Africa, where red ochre use has been documented at ca 165,000 years ago. Only time will tell if these dates continue to be held up. And Neanderthal hung on, too; the latest known Neanderthal site is Gorhams Cave in Gibraltar, about 25,000 years ago. Finally, the debate still is unsettled about the Flores individuals who may represent a separate species, Homo floresiensis, dated to the Middle Paleolithic but extending well into the UP.